The current county seat, Szombathely has preserved relics of its Roman precursor, a provincial seat in the Roman Empire named Savaria. A wealth of Baroque heritage has survived, too.

The townspeople duly nurture the remnants of the Roman era and also regularly commemorate St Martin, the bishop of Tours, who, according to legend, was born here. The current St Martin's church with the St Martin's Nativity Chapel is said to have been built upon the house where he was born.

Since 1777, Szombathely has been an episcopal seat and accordingly there are many Christian heritage sights in the town. The Ecclesiastical History Museum and Treasury is hosted in the building of the episcopal palace. There are several Maulbertsch paintings in the cathedral next to a relic of St Martin gifted to the bishopric of Szombathely by the archbishop of Tours. The statue representing the Madonna and Child in the cathedral's Mary Chapel is an art historic rarity by Raffaello Romanelli, carved in Carrara marble, based on Raffaello Santi's world famous painting, the Sistine Madonna.

The majority of the old buildings in the town are heritage buildings and nearly every house bears some interesting history or legend.

The Bloom House is renowned for its literary history connection: the English and Hungarian inscription on the building directs the visitors' attention to Leopold Bloom (Virág Lipót in Hungarian), the hero of James Joyce's famous novel Ullysses who claims to have been born in Szombathely. In memoriam of that, on the 16th of June each year 'Bloomsday' awaits guests with an array of cultural events here in Szombathely as well as in a number of towns around the world.

Othere festivals to be enjoyed here include the Savaria Historical Carnival (Savaria Történelmi Karnevál) held annually, there is also the weeklong General Arts Festival connected to St Martin's Day and the International Dance Competition.

Author: www.hungarystartshere.com